Actually, they were alot more fuzzy...prior to HIPAA, a physician could absolutely inform a spouse, for example, of the physical condition of their spouse....under HIPAA the doc can talk to the spouse about the bill, but not about "protected, personally identifiable health information"....yes there were guidelines in place, HIPAA made them more specific, more stringent and punishable with fines ranging from $100.00 to $25,000. And I said, the requirement would be in this instance, if the pharmacist use the patients name and named the medication....both would be required to constitute a violation....with regard to the family member, that is a clear violation, unless we're talking about parent and minor child....